Dialogue with Trypho 27.5
Summary: Priests sacrifice and infants are circumcised on the Sabbath; so the Sabbath is not absolute.
Greek text · Archambault 1:122
Ἐπεὶ, εἴπατέ μοι, τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς ἁμαρτάνειν τοῖς σάββασι προσφέροντας τὰς προσφορὰς ἐβούλετο ὁ θεὸς, ἢ τοὺς περιτεμνομένους καὶ περιτέμνοντας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων, κελεύων τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐκ παντὸς περιτέμνεσθαι τοὺς γεννηθέντας ὁμοίως, κἂν ᾖ ἡμέρα τῶν σαββάτων; Ἢ οὐκ ἠδύνατο πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἢ μετὰ μίαν ἡμέραν τοῦ σαββάτου ἐνεργεῖν περιτέμνεσθαι τοὺς γεννωμένους, εἰ ἠπίστατο κακὸν εἶναι ἐν τοῖς σάββασιν; ἢ καὶ τοὺς πρὸ Μωσέως καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ὠνομασμένους δικαίους καὶ εὐαρέστους αὐτῷ γενομένους, μήτε τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν περιτετμημένους μήτε τὰ σάββατα φυλάξαντας, διὰ τί οὐκ ἐδίδασκε ταῦτα ποιεῖν;
English · Claude translation
“For, tell me, did God want the high priests to sin by offering the offerings on the Sabbaths? Or those who are circumcised and who circumcise on the Sabbath day, when he commands that those born be circumcised on the eighth day in every case, even if it is a Sabbath day? Or could he not have had those born circumcised one day before or one day after the Sabbath, if he knew it was wrong on the Sabbath? Or why did he not teach those named before Moses and Abraham as righteous and pleasing to him, who were neither circumcised nor kept Sabbaths, to do these things?”
About this passage
Notes
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (missing letter); digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (wrong accent); digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (wrong breathing)): κἄν ᾖ ἡμέρα → κἂν ᾖ ἡμέρα; Ἣ οὐκ ἠδύνατο → Ἢ οὐκ ἠδύνατο; ἡμέραν το σαββάτου → ἡμέραν τοῦ σαββάτου.
Cite this passage
Justin, Dial. 27.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/27/5/).
Plain text
Justin, Dial. 27.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/27/5/).
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